


Tune as Old as Song

by Artemaes_Jones



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien's bodyguard's name is Ezra, Beauty and the Beast AU, F/M, No beta guess ill die, Slow transformation of the beast
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-17 20:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20626931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemaes_Jones/pseuds/Artemaes_Jones
Summary: A beast is often misunderstood if we look at it from our perspective. Or in which Marinette meets a mysterious beast and finds herself falling in love, and the beast finds his fur is falling out.





	1. Prologue: The Curse

Nathalie Sancoeur was no fool. She was no stranger to the magic that ran through her veins, that often manifested itself in a purple glow from her palms. But as she watched the carriage carry away Lord Gabriel Agreste’s sole heir, she almost felt as if the magic that had caused this was something she had never seen before. Of course, that was foolish, since she and Adrien’s bodyguard, Ezra, had both had a hand in the spell that wove itself around Adrien, but she couldn’t help the panic that rose up in her chest.

Ezra stood beside her as they watched the carriage depart from the manor’s grounds, and slowly patted her on the back, trying to comfort her. “It was necessary.” He said quietly. “He would have become just like his father.”

Nathalie turned to her old friend, watching as tears rose to his eyes. “Of course, but how do we know we can trust these- “She spat. “things? Surely Emilie must have never met them?”

Ezra shrugged at her, and sighed. “She often told me about her visits to the manor, how nice and polite the creatures were to her. Don’t worry so much, now come, we must tell the lord what happened.”

Nathalie held in a sob as they walked back into the manor, knowing full well that whatever punishment Gabriel Agreste had for the both would not compare to what they had done to Adrien. They would lie, of course, telling his lordship that his son had been cursed through a letter from a far away sorceress, that they had been told to send him to a village far away, and that he would be safe in the hands of his captor. They would tell him the conditions of the curse that was set upon his son, how he must find someone to love him before his twenty-first birthday, how he could never return to the Agreste manor, and how he would look like a monster because of the curse.

The day that Nathalie sent Adrien away had started as everyone does, with a renewal of the wards that surround the manor, waking up Adrien so that he can get ready for his lessons, and secretly meeting with Ezra to double check that Gabriel isn’t planning anything that may cause harm to come to Adrien. After Adrien’s mother’s death, Nathalie and Ezra found themselves working harder and harder to make sure that Adrien didn’t feel neglected or forgotten, something they both wish they didn’t have to do. Adrien was a kind young man, always curious about the world around him, always wanting to see what is outside of the manor, much like his mother used to do whenever she first married Gabriel. They both remember the first time they met Lady Agreste, before they had come to work for the Agrestes, out in the nearest village, where both had grown up. Ezra had rescued Lady Agreste from a very insensitive man, and Nathalie had made sure that Emilie was alright. With this one act of kindness, Emilie decided that she would thank them for it by hiring them on as staff. Life after that was never the same for both, who regarded Emilie as a lost sister, Gabriel on the other hand was regarded as a boss and nothing more, since he seemed to only want to climb higher and higher on the social ladder.

That day though, it seemed that Gabriel had found a way to climb higher and had called Adrien into his study, and Nathalie had heard through the door of his plan to have Adrien become a suitor of the princess, Chloe, so that they might be even closer to claiming the crown. Adrien, having grown up with his mother’s stories of true love, though, had told his father that he would not marry anyone that he didn’t truly love. Gabriel had taken this statement about as well as he had taken the death of his wife, meaning that the minute Adrien stopped talking, Gabriel slapped him hard across his face and ordered him to obey. The boy, barely even a teenager, bowed his head to his father and left the office with tears burning in his eyes.

Nathalie became enraged after witnessing the red hand mark that scarred Adrien’s cheek, and decided then and there that she and Ezra were going to have to do something to protect Adrien. She marched straight to where she knew Ezra would be, guarding Adrien’s bedroom door and promptly told him what she heard and what she witnessed. After hearing this, his face began to twist in anger and he nodded at her, prepared to do what would have to be done.

They had talked long before this moment about what spell they would cast if anything bad may come upon Adrien, spending many nights discussing how they could combine their strengths. Nathalie had been gifted long ago with the ability to transform objects and people into whatever she could think of, or whatever form the person truly desired, while Ezra was blessed with creating strength within any person he could see or whoever was willing. With these combined, and a spell Emilie had once told them about, with a wink and a slip of paper falling into Nathalie’s hands, they both knew that Adrien would never have to worry about his father again. The spell, or curse, they assumed, would transform Adrien into a mighty beast, with immense strength and special abilities. Emilie’s part added the conditions to break the spell, that someone must fall in love with Adrien before his twenty-first birthday or he will stay in his monstress form forever. Both spell-casters had agreed that this spell must be done, since Gabriel seemed to have pushed his plans far past what was fair to Adrien, and had hit him physically.

With a sigh, both went to grab the needed supplies and decided to come back to Adrien at night, and send him away in the early morning, while Gabriel and the rest of the manor slept. That night, as Adrien slept away, they wove the spell around him, transforming him into a dangerous, black beast. When he awoke, they told him of their plan, and he hesitantly agreed to the plan, unsure if he ever could break the curse.

If only he had known that Nathalie’s and Ezra’s plans were for him to never find love, and to be free in this form forever. If only they had count on a young girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng.


	2. In Which We Meet Plagg and Tikki

Plagg loved his wife Tikki with all his heart, something he wouldn’t willingly admit to anyone, unless it was Tikki. He loved living in his secluded manor with her, being able to walk the gardens with her as she flitted around from flower field to flower field, admiring the bees and other creatures that inhabited their garden. He adored those times when they would sit in front of the fireplace of their large home, and Tikki would run her fingers through his hair, while she read to him on e of the books from their large library. His favorite thing, though, were the moments that his wife became hyper focused on her work, creating beautiful tapestries for various other royal families or making wonderful dresses and outfits for those same families. In these moments it seemed to him that the world would disappear and all that would be left is him and her, sitting in the small sewing that he had created for Tikki so long ago.

The one thing Plagg could never understand, even when his lovely wife explained time and time again, was whenever she would take stray animals to care for them, for any moment that took her away from him was a moment that he hated with all his being. Was Plagg selfish? Of course, he was, a result of using his magic too much in his beginning days left him with way too many cat tendencies to be normal, and this resulted in a weird desire to be Tikki’s only focus. He hid this feeling though, knowing that his wife adored bringing love back into the heart of strays. Plagg knew that his wife enjoyed bringing back life into a stray’s eyes, and that she loved even more being able to find a home for the now pet, something she and he took very seriously.

It was this love of bringing back life to strays though that had ended with them coming into the unofficial guardianship of one now monstress cat-boy. Tikki had long ago made outfits for the Agreste family, and encountered one Nathalie Sancouer, who confided in her about the magic that she held. Tikki took this in stride, and revealed that both she and Plagg were magic users as well, although they preferred to do things the non-magic way. Nathalie, of course, must have remembered this fact, as she and Tikki kept in constant contact, even after Tikki was told never to come back by the senior Agreste, and Plagg remembers clearly the night that Tikki ran to him in tears, having received a letter from Nathalie.

“He abuses his son Plagg,” Tikki wailed. “He puts all of his expectations on this small child and there’s nothing she can do!”

Plagg hadn’t considered the consequences of his next suggestion, only fueled by the anger that his wife was in tears and there seemed to be only one cause. “She can do something. You remember that spell that we found in one of our books, tell her that that will protect the boy.”

“But doesn’t that spell- “

“It doesn’t matter sugar cube, would you rather the boy be beaten, or would you want him to suffer the side affects of the spell?” Tikki seemed that she knew the answer, and she ran off quickly to write back to Nathalie, detailing what she and Ezra could do.

And now because of his stupid impulsive decision to remind his wife of the curse they had long ago decided never to mention again, he now sat in front of a terrified monster. The monster that Adrien had become had dark black fur, with a face being a mix between a human and cat, and sharp pointed teeth that Plagg could tell from the puncture wounds on Adrien’s bottom lip had not been gotten used to yet. Instead of normal human ears, the boy had large pointed ones that sat on the top of his head, now twitching in anxiety. His tail was bushy, more reflective of a wolf’s tail than that of a cat, and he had claws on all his now giant paws, ones that didn’t retract. The boy now stood at seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a slightly hunched form.

He hadn’t expected the spell to result in this type of form for the boy, mainly because the last time it had been used the victim had turned into a panther, but he assumed it must be because of the mixing of Ezra’s and Nathalie’s magics. Nevertheless, Plagg decided that the poor boy deserved a place to stay, especially after Tikki had begged him to let the boy stay with them, at least to protect him from his father.

When the coach had arrived, both he and Tikki were walking through the gardens, admiring the spring weather. They had seen the horseless coach approach them, a magic they knew belonged to Ezra, and were shocked when a letter had flown into Tikki’s hand. Plagg, being always the more curious and less cautious of the pair, instantly opened the coach and came face to face with the now monster Agreste. He, of course, made a strange cooing sound at Adrien, something he assumed his cat-self wished for him to do. Adrien, having been curled up the whole time, slowly lifted his head curiously and Plagg found himself slowly reaching for the boy, who took his hand cautiously and squeaked as the older man pulled him out of the coach and into a hug.

Tikki was just as surprised as both were, but smiled at her husband. “Oh Plagg, looks like we’ve got a kitten on our hands.”

Plagg glared at Tikki, still holding onto the boy, and then slowly untangled his arms, crossing them. “Tikki- don’t you even- “

But he couldn’t finish his sentence as his wife grabbed the young Agreste’s paw and dragged him into their manor. He followed behind grumbling, and watched as his wife walked the young monster into their living room, letting him sit on the coach. She turned to her husband and beckoned him over. “I’m going to go and grab Adrien some food, you should sit here with him until I return.” And so, he did, even though he was a bit upset about it.

It wasn’t until after Tikki had returned that the boy had looked up at the both, a curious expression on his face. “Whe- where am I?” He asked quietly, wincing as his teeth poked into his bottom lip again.

Tikki tsked at this and smiled at the boy. “You are in our manor, I am Tikki, and this is my husband, Plagg.”

“You were cursed, boy.” Plagg shot out as Tikki looked at him, earning him a smack on the back of the head.

“Plagg!”

“Cursed? Wh-who cursed me?” Adrien looked frighteningly between them. “Was it one of you? Are you trying to ransom me? Where’s my father? Where’s Nathalie?”

“Shh, it’s okay Adrien, we are friends of Nathalie, you were uh- “Plagg gently elbowed his wife before he continued.

“You were cursed by an enchantress since your father refused to marry you off, Nathalie sent you here to be safe.” Tikki looked a bit insulted as he lied, but he knew that if the boy knew the truth, he would freak out even more.

“An enchantress? Is there any way to undo the curse? I’m supposed to be the next lord, I can’t let my father down.” Adrien seemed to be panicking more by the second, and Plagg wasn’t about to admit that there was no real way to break the curse that was placed on him, especially if Nathalie’s and Ezra’s magic had mixed. Mixed magics did strange things to curses, or any spell really.

“You have to find someone who loves you for who you truly are, before your twenty-first birthday, or else you’ll be stuck forever.” Ah, there was the ever romantic Tikki, coming in with yet another lie.

“How will I do that? When I look- when I look like _this_?!” Adrien gestured at himself and curled up once again, only to look up once again as Tikki calmly touched his shoulder.

“We’ll figure it out.” She smiled and Plagg did too, nodding.

“Yeah, don’t worry kid, we’ll figure it out.” Plagg smiled at him and then motioned for Adrien to get up. “Now come on, you’ve got to check out your new room.”

Plagg and Tikki had decided between themselves before they ever had visitors that the room for them would be situated right next to theirs, so that the guest wouldn’t have to wander the manor at night all alone and could easily find them. They both were glad that they had put Adrien in this room, when in the middle of the night they both awoke to find a giant seven-foot figure at the foot of their bed, nervously holding his paws in front of him.

“I couldn’t sleep, can I sleep on the ground in here?” He asked them and Tikki agreed, telling him to grab the blanket from the dresser and sleepily handing him one of her pillows. Plagg watched this process, and then turned over and fell asleep. The next morning Adrien was gone, and he assumed that the boy might’ve felt guilty for interrupting them, something that was proven when they went downstairs to find the poor boy curled up on the coach.

Adrien immediately apologized to the both, but Plagg and Tikki simple smiled at him. Tikki walked to the kitchen to make breakfast, and Plagg calmly sat down on one of the armchairs that was across from the coach.

“You gave us a fright when we woke up and you weren’t there, kid.” Plagg said, and he watched as the boy curled up more into the coach. “Don’t worry though, we aren’t angry or anything.”

Adrien looked up from his curled-up position. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, kid. Don’t worry about us ever being angry at you.” Plagg tried to comfort the boy, but then decided that that may not be enough. “Look, have you ever wanted to learn magic?”

His head shot up at this, and an excited look crossed his face before it disappeared. “I- I have, but father banned it from our province.”

“Pfft, that old geezer isn’t here anymore, c’mon kid, after breakfast I’ll start to teach you about it.” Plagg waved a hand and got up from his spot, motioning Adrien over to the door that led into their dining room. “Let me tell you, Tikki makes a mean breakfast, and the cheese we got is so fresh, mm I might just die from happiness thinking about it.”

Adrien followed behind him silently, the only noise coming from his claws tapping along the floorboards. Plagg made a silent note to ask Tikki about making the boy some comfortable socks to help control any accidental scratching, but filed that away whenever they reached the kitchen.

Tikki was in there, and seemed to be working on making some eggs for them. Plagg motioned to Adrien to sit at the small table that inhabited the giant kitchen and walked up to his wife. “Mm that smells wonderful sugar cube.”

His wife laughed at him before poking his nose. “What do you want, stinky sock?”

“I wanted to know your opinion on me teaching Adrien magic.” At this Tikki turned around shocked.

“You told me you never wanted to teach anybody, and you always hate my strays. What’s up with you Plagg?” She looked genuinely concerned and he started to rub the back of his neck.

“I- I think my inner cat has already claimed him as its kitten.” Plagg was blushing and Tikki gave a small laugh. “It’s not funny sugar cube, you know that means that it’s getting worse.”

Tikki gave him a small kiss on his nose and laughed. “Oh, stinky sock, don’t worry about that, you know that you won’t fully turn, besides that makes deciding who will teach him so much easier. What?” She asked as Plagg gave her a curious look. “I thought about it all last night and decided that now that Adrien isn’t in his father’s house, he can finally learn a bit of magic, his mother was a talented sorcerer before she- “

Plagg gave his wife a soft pat on the arm, and smiled at her. Tikki may have only worked for a while with the Agrestes, but she had become close friends with Emilie, making sure that the woman was always happy in her life. It had ruined Tikki whenever she heard that Emilie had passed on, and Plagg had sworn to make sure that his wife never felt like that again. It was on that day that he had rushed to a nearby village and had bought flowers to begin their garden, and Tikki was surprised to find her husband with five pairs of gloves on his hands, frantically digging holes to plant flowers. He, of course, would never admit to his wife that he had to have five pairs of gloves since every time he tried to touch something with anything less than five on it would burst into flames. The garden had from then on grown, with Plagg making sure to secretly add another set of flowers every year.

He shook himself from that memory and gave her a small peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry, sugar cube, we’ll make sure that the boy gets the best training. Besides, he’ll have the best teacher in the world.” Plagg winked and proceeded to go to the boy.

\----

To Tikki, it was one of the most precious things to see her husband bond with their charge, and watch as the boy became more confident in his form, even adopting at times the name “Cat Noir”. Both Tikki and Plagg refused to call him that, but did enjoy referring to him as Adrien Noir, instead of reminding the boy of the father he had left behind. Though, as the days turned to weeks and the weeks to years, she became restless at the fact that she lacked an apprentice for herself, and decided to set out to find one.

It was on one cold winter day that she finally found someone she thought worthy to become her apprentice, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Next chapter we finally meet the elusive Marinette.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review! Hope you like this!


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